Me, Myself and I
by Fey Halfkin
Summary: [Rushwater] In 'A Cub's Question', Littlejoy was a curious child. Now see the change she's grown to be as the huntress named Dirk. Taking mother's advice
1. Littlejoy

The day was warm and Brightmoss didn't feel like sleeping or hunting today. She'd been up last night and with only a nap was up when the daystar rose. Not wanting to wake her daughter up, she climbed away from the den to find a sunny place to relax on the ground. She stretched out and indulged herself for a time.  
  
Her brown curly hair seemed to soak in the daystar's rays, making everything warm inside her. Shutting her blue-green eyes with a smile she let herself into the NOW of wolf thought with ease. For a moment the warmth along her left side felt as if someone was laying beside her until she shifted and opened her eyes to face the disappointment of seeing no one. Briefly, a stab of hurt hit her heart as she thought about Sheercliff but it had been many, many turns since he'd died and it didn't last too long as it had once had.  
  
A shadow blocked the warmth from the daystar's rays and she looked up to see her daughter standing above her with a curious expression on her face. Somehow the fact that her daughter was up wasn't too odd considering she'd done stranger things before.  
  
"Are you falling asleep on the ground during the day, Mother?" Littlejoy asked as she crouched down by Brightmoss' head with her hands loosely relaxed on her legs. The daystar's light hit Brightmoss' eyes and she squinted them shut and moved one arm to block it out.  
  
"I wasn't falling asleep. I was relaxing." Brightmoss corrected her daughter as she sat up. Not looking really convinced but ready to let it drop, the black-haired daughter rocked upon her heels a bit as she bent over with hands on her knees. Littlejoy wasn't exactly fidgeting but it was close enough for young adult to fidgeting that she caught Brighmoss' attention.  
  
What's got her tail now? One hand brushed her bangs back while Brightmoss studied her growing cub's expression. "Alright, Littlejoy. What are you restless for today?" Maybe the black-haired youth sighed in relief, or maybe it just seemed that way.  
  
"Um, well you and Woodsmoke were going to teach me how to read tracks and make snares but Woodsmoke is with Wildstar for something and doesn't know when he'll be done." The last was said with only a slightly unhappy tone and Brightmoss had to smile. Her brother's calm and careful nature annoyed Littlejoy to no end at times much to the siblings' amusement.  
  
"So it'll be just you, me and us today then, cub." Brightmoss said as she stretched and stood up. Littlejoy almost bounced up and followed her mother a distance away from the Holt to learn more about tracking then the simple ones learned as a cub. Their wolves stayed behind at their elf-bonds' sending and fell back asleep.  
  
"See how different these branch horn tracks are? This one on the edge that you found are more blurred from prancing then the one right there. So there's at least two. Don't let the over lapping confuse you too much or you might find yourself distracted by one and blind-sided by the others. That's very dangerous with bristle boar or the round-ears so pay attention to details. Now tell me what you know about the tracks you found."  
  
Standing up and a few steps back Brightmoss watched Littlejoy study the tracks closely. Littlejoy's hand hovering along the tracks edges as she peered at the hoof prints intently. A wisp of black hair fell in front of her eyes but it didn't distract her any.  
  
"Its..its not fully grown yet because the hoof prints aren't as big as the other one, right? And that other one is heavier because the tracks are deeper." It was as much a question as a statement.  
  
Littlejoy glanced up at her mother hoping she was right but couldn't read Brightmoss' guarded expression. Quickly, she re-examined the tracks, fearing she'd missed something, looking at them from different angles and positions. After a minute she noticed what she'd missed the first time. A very small pair of tracks that were identical in all but size to the other two. The prancer's tracks were almost totally erased until a short distance ahead where the branch horns had been frightened off and all the tracks showed much more clearly in their retreat.  
  
Blushing slightly in embarrassment, Littlejoy looked at Brightmoss again, feeling she SHOULD have seen it and thinking her mother must be getting annoyed with her. In the last three hours she'd made so many mistakes. Brightmoss, on the other hand, saw that Littlejoy had noticed something she'd barely seen and began beaming with pride. The embarrassed youth didn't notice because she kept her gaze away and down.  
  
"You're doing fine and its about time to take a break anyway. I'm getting hungry, which probably means you're starving." she said with a laugh as she caught her daughter's look. Thought I wouldn't notice, huh? With those eyes that match my own you can't hide much.  
  
"I guess I'm hungry." Littlejoy said casually. As if in answer a faint rumble came from Littlejoy's stomach, which made her look down and glare at her traitorous body before looking back at her mother. Brightmoss bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. She looks almost exactly like Sheercliff with that black hair and me with those flashing eyes. No doubt she would have had him wrapped around her little finger long ago, she thought to herself as they went to find a place to eat the odd number of squirrels and berries they'd collected earlier.  
  
Resting in the shade by the river, mother and daughter ate and talked about anything they could think of in a comfortable and direction-less fashion. It eventually turned to things that went on today.  
  
"Mother, why did you say 'you, me and us' instead of just 'you and me'?" Littlejoy asked. The phrase had stuck in her mind like an itch all day.  
  
Brightmoss finished nibbling the squirrel bone, thought about it and got a far away smile when she remembered its origin.  
  
"My parents always said things were best in three. Mother, father and cub. You, a love or lifemate and soul-sibling. Always three. So if there were only two, you still found a way for it to be three. I didn't realize I still said that..." she trailed off.  
  
"What if there's more then three?" Littlejoy asked.  
  
"Then it was even better then three. But when it was less then three it was hard and incomplete somehow." A thoughtful silence came as Littlejoy stirred that in her mind. It was late afternoon and both of them felt it had been a full and relaxing day as they sat back to watch the clouds drift slowly. Faintly, the breeze brushed their skin and the sun was high over the sky.  
  
Brightmoss and Littlejoy reluctantly headed back to the Holt to catch some sleep. Brightmoss didn't know about her daughter but she'd been up all last night and now most of the day. She yawned and felt the right part of her jaw pop. This should only be done by the younger. I just don't have the stamina anymore, was her rueful thought as she glanced at Littlejoy who didn't look very tired yet.  
  
In fact it seemed her daughter couldn't sleep if her life depended on it. She was already talking about bringing her wolfcub-bond along next time. "...and he'll be a big help when he gets bigger. Not as big as Flowersneeze was or your Greysnow is but...I can't wait till he's fully grown! Even though he still makes too much noise right now but that won't be for long either." Brightmoss barely heard Littlejoy's plans beyond her excited tone as they entered the Holt and parted ways. One heading for her den and sleeping furs, the other quickly going to the wolves' caves to play with the wolf cub named Stalker.  
  
It was now eight turns of the seasons later and things had changed drastically if anyone had thought about it. There was only one sleeping fur in the den now and no more arrow glue smell hung in its walls. Where Brightmoss had slept was a troll-made sword, a Taal stick and a well-worn basket that was closed tightly from the hands and eyes of others; especially from the preservers who loved collecting trinkets. Brightmoss' necklace that Sheercliff had given her was in the basket as well as other valuable trinkets. 


	2. Dirk

Littlejoy had changed her long used cub name to Dirk, and she had become more like the weapon she named herself after. Eyes that had been somewhat carefree now flashed like light off a blade, and she now was quickly suspicious of everything; humans and trolls most of all. Stalker was no longer a cub but a member of the pack, with the sharpest eyes among the wolves. So many changes, changes that forged her into who she was now. Regretful but also unavoidable here, with dangers living like a neighbor amongst the elves.  
  
Dirk laid an arm across Stalker's tense body as they crouched down in the shadows. The injured bristle boar kept looking behind every now and then but couldn't see its pursuers. At the moment the wind favored the hunters but she didn't know for how much longer.  
  
Cautiously, they followed it, waiting for a chance to strike and Dirk almost growled in frustration when the bristle boar caught wind of something and got defensive. What now? she asked herself exasperated while she searched for the source that had alerted their prey. The smell of humans, a lot of humans, made her nauseous at the same time while wanting to howl in frustration.  
  
Elf and wolf were a distance off but she didn't want to lose her meat to THEM. Pride and anger fussed together and she quickly calculated how to catch her prize and still escaping the round ears. If this doesn't work the Chieftess is going to kill me. Her or those misbegotten sons of trolls, she thought with fatalistic tinted humour as she launched herself at the bristle boar.  
  
Her throwing dagger hit its aim in the boar's side a few moments before Dirk and Stalker broke cover. Now it squealed loudly and turned to meet its tormenters with its tusks. The humans heard it and headed towards the sound. Elf and wolf split to attack the boar at different angles in such fierce yet quick battle that Dirk had only a vague memory of how her sword ending up through the boar's jaw into the brain or when the boar tagged her in the sides.  
  
The pain throbbed heatedly along her left ribs but she sheathed her sword, retrieved her throwing dagger and as swiftly as possible, dragged the carcass away before the humans got there. Stalker trailed ahead of her uninjured to most extents. He kept pausing to look in the direction where the humans where approaching with the noise that heralded them growing louder. Dirk looked about in something close to panic and had to calm herself sternly in order to think more clearly.  
  
Okay. I've got a dead boar and a whole pack of round ears closing in. Think, think. What's around here; that dreamberry patch three stone throws but in the wrong direction. I don't want to head remotely towards Them. Okay, fine. That crocodilian infested river outlet is not far and it's ahead, not behind. Could have killed me if Stalker hadn't seen them moving and alerted me. I can hear the water now if only somewhat faint. But can I carry this, that far and that fast? No choice, she grimly thought to herself as she hoisted the boar up. It already felt almost too heavy to carry now without taking a single step, but she stubbornly kept going. No way was this prize going to those clumsy killers behind her!  
  
She staggered forward as quickly as possible almost by will power alone. Sweat already appearing and her skin was getting hot despite the small, cool breezes brushing by her skin. Muscles strained with the promises of reminding her of this treatment over the next hand of days. Putting her trust in Stalker to both guard and alert her when the humans got close she narrowed her focus into getting this heavy burden to the crocodilians. One more step lead to the next step, and so on for what seemed like forever until she almost walked right into the water. It startled her enough that she jerked back, the boar over balanced and she fell quite quickly. Oh, that's going to leave bruises, she thought as she sat up and glared at the water.  
  
Stalker whined as he came up beside her, briefly pushed her arm with his nose before focusing beyond. The crashing and angry tones of the humans as they came far too close to elf and wolf for comfort seemed loud to Dirk's sensitive ears. Ignoring her protesting body she got up and with a mix of pushing and rolling, to the edge of the water. Crocodilian eyes watched and drifted closer, at least two of them that she could see.  
  
Stalker bit her left arm brace and tugged Dirk in a clear warning to get out of here. Tired, sore and not wanting to get caught by angry round ears that felt cheated of prey, Dirk abandoned the bristle boar and mounted Stalker. He knew what to do. Without hesitation he turned in the direction that angled away from the water and the humans, racing back to the Holt. Dirk just clung on tight to stay on and trusted him. She didn't have too much energy to really do anything else.  
  
Dirk caused a stir when she arrived. She lay completely exhausted upon her wolf-bond. Purehaven was called by worried tribemates as they gently helped her off. Well, gently at first. Her grip on Stalker's fur took a minute to get it to let go. She protested any movement with inhaled hisses of pain and clenched teeth, but only slightly. They didn't know she'd pulled a lot of muscles recently and probably shouldn't have been moved.  
  
The gash in her side did show what she'd been doing and explained to a point her condition.  
  
Dirk was concentrating to stay awake while the urge to sleep was taking its toll. Somehow it felt like a very full and exhausting day today. I wonder why? she thought with grim humour. Another thought followed quickly after. Wonder how Wildstar is going to kill me? Tan my hide? No, she'd say it was worthless after this. Loudly tell me what I did was wrong? Nay, that's too quick. Ah, I know. Glare at me and speak few but sharp words. A few nights of 'looks' from everyone else until I redeem myself in their eyes. Especially to Snowspear, she thought, cringing inside.  
  
Dirk knew she deserved all the pain and the talk with the Chieftess but it didn't mean she was totally sorry about it either. She'd tracked and injured that bristle boar; it would not feed the humans a bite if she had any say in it. A hand touched her shoulder lightly and then suddenly the muscles didn't hurt as much. Her side gash was still sore but healed enough to stop bleeding.  
  
Dirk raised her green-blue eyes up to see Purehaven next to her. There was worry in the air. She could almost smell it from everyone. I'm not going to go slaughtering the whole blessed forest again so soon, she thought resentfully. Or endanger the tribe.  
  
Ignoring the healing, she turned her head away from Purehaven, closed her eyes and tried to ignore everyone. Images played back the events of today and she felt a self-satisfied grin come upon her face as she drifted off to sleep. The last thought she had before becoming oblivious was, And I'd do it all again. Just me, myself and I. And she had no doubt she'd be explaining herself soon enough. 


End file.
